Bakers and Bread.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1858, 16 July 1886, Page 2

Bakers and Bread.

To the Editor of the Standard■

Sib, — Your correspondent “ Upper Cruet ” tries to defend the action of the baker* in raising the price of bread. If he is not in the trade be must have been paid to write such a letter as that in rep yto mine. But doe* he make the bakers’ case good f Not a bit of it He excuses the light weight of the bakers by saying that the loaves loo* by evaporation. The bakers may well exclaim “ Save me from my friends I ” A Wellington paper gives instances of fraud in the purchase of bread as follows ;—Three of the loaves purchased weighed 11b 7oas, 11b llozs, and lib 13ozs each. This shows a deficiency of lib loz on three loaves. Now, a family of seven person* will use about four 21b loaves a day and be cheated out of at least lib 6oz* in the way of short weight. This would come to 91b lOozs of abort weight in bread, paid for each week, but not obtained. Putting the case in another way; the customer would be defrauded of rather over four a-half and really 2lb loaves each week. This is a cruel and wicked fraud perpetrated by the bakers upon the public—and more especially upon the poorer classes. It it in the households of the poor that the consumption of bread is greater, proportionately, than in those of the neb, simply because, where there is little other variety of food, bread forms one of the chief articles of use. , What will your correspondent, the bakers’ champion, " Upper Croat ” reply to this ? I I am not against our bakers getting a fair profit on their bread, but no conscientious man will send out short weight. Let us have full weight and bread fit to eat —not doughy and sour—and we will say nothing moru about ths rise in price. I am, Ac., Don Blown.